In short:
Albury Wodonga community leaders have delivered a mixed reception to the Victorian Liberal party's additional $100 million funding pledge towards the Albury Hospital redevelopment.
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leaders → deliver → redevelopment
The funds, which would go to the project if the Coalition wins the November state election, would provide 50 new beds, a helipad, a new multistorey car park and more acute youth mental health beds.
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Coalition → go → beds
Better Border Health chair Stan Stavros is concerned the pledge could lead to "Legoland for decades" at the existing site taking the focus from a new greenfield build.
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pledge → concern → build
There has been a mixed reaction from community leaders after the Victorian opposition pledged an extra $100 million of funding towards the Albury Hospital redevelopment if they win the November state election.
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they → pledge → election
The investment pledge, coming on top of the existing $558 million of federal, New South Wales and Victorian government funding, would provide 50 more beds, a multistorey car park and a full fit-out of the clinical services building including a helipad, paediatric ward and operating theatres.
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pledge → come → helipad
The Coalition said it would fund the provision of specialist youth acute mental health beds within the hospital's mental health unit.
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it → say → unit
Liberal candidate for Benambra Steve Martin said the commitment would also fund a health infrastructure feasibility study to determine whether long-term demand could be met over the next 25 years at the current 8 hectare Albury site or required a new location.
"Immediately on being elected we'll be starting a feasibility study which will identify a preferred greenfield site and do a proper benefit cost assessment of continuing develop at the Albury site or starting on a new greenfield site," he said.
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he → say → site
He said the issue with stopping the current redevelopment now was just how long it would take to deliver new beds at the site.
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it → say → site
"Everywhere I go I hear the needs are now and we need to be able to deliver something that will cater to our community as it needs now, but we're also mindful we need to start already preparing for what's next,"he said.
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what → go → community
He said the party had not taken lightly its change in approach to the issue.
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party → say → issue
Every day we're seeing 40 to 70 beds short, and this will deliver new beds within two to three years," Mr Martin said.
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Martin → see → years
He also confirmed the party would commit to delivering the newly promised services even if the cost rose above the $100 million budgeted figure.
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cost → confirm → figure
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the commitment was to provide "quality healthcare" for the community while also ensuring a "real plan" for the years to come.
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commitment → say → years
"An additional $100 million for Albury Wodonga Health means more beds, greater access, better clinical services and a real plan for the future health needs of this growing community,"she said.
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million → mean → community,"she
Legoland for decades'
Better Border Health director Stan Stavros said he was "definitely appreciative" of the announcement and welcomed the "immediate relief" promised by delivering beds in modular wards.
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he → say → wards
"This is something the clinicians, the doctors and the nurses have been calling for, for about five to six years," he said.
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he → call → years
However, he said more was needed.
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more → say → ?
"I think it should be extended to also providing … modular operating theatres which are quite a practical way of providing immediate relief over a number of years," he said.
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he → think → years
While welcoming the "good bits" of the announcement, he also acknowledged there were some "bits we don't like", particularly around investing even more money into an existing brownfield site instead of a greenfield one.
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we → welcome → site
"The investment of funds into what we consider to be a compromised site, it would just subject us to Legoland for decades,"he said.
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it → consider → decades,"he
He said even with the extra $100 million on top of the $558 million Albury Hospital Redevelopment, the money being spent on the hospital per capita in the region was nowhere near that being spent elsewhere.
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money → say → that
"On a per person basis based on our population size, we're getting nothing," he said.
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he → base → nothing
"That's still going to be … well and truly under two-thirds of what other communities are getting," he said.
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he → go → what
Wodonga Mayor and chair of the Alliance of Councils for Albury Wodonga Region Health Services Michael Gobel also had a "nuanced" response.
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Gobel → have → response
Cr Gobel welcomed the commitment to a feasibility study to compare brownfield and greenfield sites, but was concerned putting a further $100 million into the brownfield could "jeopardise" the business case for a new site.
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putting → welcome → site
He also questioned whether spending $658 million on the brownfield was a "good use of taxpayers' money".
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spending → question → money
He did however welcome the Liberal's commitment to the scope, even if the budget exceeded $100 million.
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budget → welcome → million
Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll criticised the announcement as "desperate politics" and said the Liberals were untrustworthy when pledging money to hospitals.
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Liberals → criticise → hospitals
"Don't listen to what they're saying.
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they → listen → what
Look at what their actions have been.
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actions → look → ?
They've closed hospitals,"he said.
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They → close → hospitals,"he
"Labor has invested over half a billion dollars to get this hospital off the ground and redeveloped, and we'll continue to work with the Labor government in Canberra."
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we → invest → Canberra
The Aporia